Suit Could Stop Snowy Owl Slaughter at Airports

The Port Authority has stopped killing snowy owls at JFK Airport for now, but that doesn’t mean the majestic birds are safe forever. In an effort to halt slaughter of snowy owls forever, the animal rights group Friends of Animals has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The fact that they stopped the shooting doesn’t make this a moot point,” said the organization’s lawyer.

The lawsuit alleges that the killings are carried out illegally. “We’re saying in the lawsuit that the law does not protect this killing of the snowy owls and that they have violated environmental laws in doing so,” said Friends of Animals executive director Priscilla Feral.